Madigan pressed on Peotone

Lawmaker impatient for legal opinion on airport-land transfer

June 29, 2005|By Stanley Ziemba, Tribune staff reporter.

One state lawmaker is running out of patience in awaiting a ruling from Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan on whether the Illinois General Assembly must give its blessing before the state can transfer land to U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s south suburban airport commission to build a proposed airport near Peotone.

In a letter dated Tuesday, Rep. David Miller (D-Calumet City) asked why it is "taking so long" for Madigan's office to issue an opinion, adding that Jackson's commission had hoped to have an answer before Thursday when its contract with a private sector airport development team expires.

At Miller's request, Madigan agreed May 19 to weigh in on the issue of transferring state-acquired land for the airport to Jackson's developers. Miller requested the opinion because some legislators and opponents of Jackson's plan for the airstrip insist that legislative approval is required.

At the time Madigan had said that coming up with an opinion was a "top priority" and that it would be issued by her office "within a couple of weeks," Miller noted.

"That promise was made almost two months ago, and now I'm told that the opinion may take another six weeks or longer," Miller said in his letter.

He added that the developers selected by the Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission have agreed to invest $200 million in private money to build the proposed airport. But the deal allows them to walk away from the project as of June 30 if they cannot receive assurances that the 4,200 acres the state currently is acquiring for the airfield will be available to them.

"I'd hate for Illinois to lose out on a $200 million private investment, 15,000 new jobs and an opportunity to correct some of the [economic] disparities [between the south and north suburbs] that many state officials have ignored for far too long--all at no cost to the taxpayers," Miller said in his letter.

Madigan spokeswoman Melissa Merz acknowledged that the attorney general had received the letter, but declined to respond to Miller's concerns beyond noting that "we are continuing to work on the opinion."

The Illinois Department of Transportation, which submitted the technical aspects of Jackson's plan to federal aviation officials in April, is in the process of acquiring 4,200 acres in eastern Will County.

Jackson's commission is competing with plans proposed by Will County and by state Sen. Debbie Halvorson (D-Crete) for overseeing development and operation of the airport.

Jackson and Miller contend that state law does not require the legislature's approval to transfer land for an airport--an opinion shared by legal research units for both the General Assembly and Congress. If the issue ends up before lawmakers, building the facility could be delayed for years, Jackson's supporters contend.